Blinken Urges Middle East Leaders to Press Hamas for Ceasefire

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken commenced his Middle East trip on Monday, pushing regional leaders to urge Hamas to accept a ceasefire proposal. Blinken highlighted that Hamas remains the only party not agreeing to the three-phase deal, which includes hostage release and prospects for ending the conflict.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday, as he began a trip to the Middle East, that he was urging leaders in the region to press Hamas to say yes to a ceasefire proposal to halt fighting in Gaza.

Blinken said Hamas was the only outlier in not accepting the proposal for a three-phase deal involving the release of hostages and talks toward an end to fighting, to which he said Israel had agreed.